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RICHMOND, Ind. — The days of Wayne County Jail inmates sitting on a stool looking through a window at their visitors has ended, and Monday, visitations take another step forward.

Beginning in May, on-site video visitations began with inmates, with visitors looking at their inmate, who remained in his or her housing unit, on a screen. Think Skype or FaceTime. Beginning Monday, visitors won't need to travel to the jail, instead they can visit with an inmate through their computer, cell phone or other mobile device.

Casi Johnson, who was waiting to use video visitation for the first time Thursday, was excited about the new stay-at-home feature because of "having three kids and able to do it from home.”

“I really, really like that," Johnson said. "I really do.”

She said that when she was previously in the jail the children's grandparents would not let the children visit her at the jail.

"They said, they shouldn’t have to come here and see their (mom), and that’s true, they shouldn’t have to," Johnson said. "It’s my fault or the other person’s fault, whoever’s in here, not my kids’ fault. They shouldn’t have to look at all the other inmates.”

Visitors must register at inmatecanteen.com and create an account. The five kiosks currently used at the jail will remain available for free visits. Off-site visits will cost 39 cents per minute, meaning a visit lasting the maximum 15 minutes would cost $5.85.

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Five video visitation kiosks are used in the Wayne County Jail.(Photo: Mike Emery/Palladium-Item)

Miles Smith was conducting a visit at one of the kiosks, speaking into a phone while watching the kiosk screen. He said he would continue to come to the jail for video visits rather than conduct them from off-site, but he called the kiosk system "pretty good."

“I think it’s probably more comfortable than using the windows,” he said.

Video visitation eliminates the closeness of face-to-face visits, but it does offer inmates advantages. Now, instead of one 15-minute visit once a week, an inmate can receive one 15-minute visit each day, and they do not have to be in the jail 14 days before being eligible to receive a visit as previously required. Visiting hours for the video system — on-site and off — are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.

“The inmates miss the face-to-face; however, when they talk with their people, they say, 'We can do this every single day,'" said Capt. Andy Abney-Brotz, the jail commander. "So it’s kind of a give and take.”

Abney-Brotz said the system has been running smoothly, and he's seen visitors taking advantage of the increased visiting opportunities.

“I have seen the public come in to visit particular inmates every single day since we’ve had this live," he said. "It’s pretty exciting.”

Johnson said that more frequent visits might benefit inmates' state of mind.

"I’ve been in here before and you get depressed," she said. "I know we were out here getting in trouble, but you get depressed. That might help them, too, with their emotions, being able to see their family.”

Jail administration had looked forward to using video visitation for quite a while, Abney-Brotz said. The majority of facilities have switched to the new technology, but he said the search for the right vendor slowed Wayne County's entry into video visitation.

A change in commissary companies led the jail to TurnKey Corrections, which had the necessary system for video visitation. The jail now uses TurnKey for jail supplies, commissary items and video visitation, and TurnKey provided the kiosks at no additional cost to the jail, Abney-Brotz said.

In addition to the five public kiosks, each of the jail's 16 housing units and the receiving area have stations for inmates. After a visitor logs into an account, the inmate is notified and has 10 minutes to accept the visit. If that particular housing unit's station is in use, the visitors are electronically queued in order. If an inmate does not respond to a visit, there is no charge.

“It’s really a benefit for everybody involved,” Abney-Brotz said.

The inmates, obviously, can receive more visits, and the system offers their loved ones more convenience. For jail staff, video visitation reduces workload. During times of face-to-face visits, staff would need to go pull inmates out of their housing units and escort them to the visit, then escort them back.

“This will allow us the opportunity to manage staffing resources more efficiently," Sheriff Jeff Cappa said.